United Nations High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance 2024: why is it important?

Posted on September 24, 2024   by Microbiology Society

This year, the United Nations (UN’s) week of High-Level Meetings is set to take place in New York City, with a High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) scheduled for the 26 of September. The Microbiology Society will be present at the Assembly.

What is a UN High-Level Meeting?

The UN General Assembly, or UNGA, is the main policymaking and legislative body of the UN, an organisation founded in 1945 to promote global peace and security.

The term UNGA can also refer to the UN’s week of High-Level Meetings. Which, in 2024, presents its 79th session, from 22⎯28 September. The UNGA serves as a forum where nations come together to discuss key international issues mentioned in the UN Charter, with each of the 193 Member States having an equal vote.

This year, a High-Level Meeting on AMR is taking place on 26 September. The theme of the meeting is ‘Investing in the present and securing our future together: Accelerating multi-sectoral global, regional and national actions to address AMR.’
 

What can we expect from the UN High-Level Meeting on AMR?

In the meeting, the Assembly will reaffirm its commitment to the Political Declaration of the High-Level meeting of the General Assembly on AMR (2016), in which it reiterated that AMR threatens not only the sustainability and effectiveness of public health efforts to combat diseases and epidemics, but also progress in health and development, and therefore achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The objective of this second meeting will be to adopt a second Political Declaration, enabling countries and other relevant stakeholders to accelerate progress in addressing AMR.

The Assembly will also emphasise the role and responsibilities of Governments and relevant intergovernmental organisations, particularly the Quadripartite. The Quadripartite is a partnership involving: the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Organization for Animal Health. These organisations are pivotal in preventing, adressing and responding to the challenges of AMR.

This High-Level meeting is a critical opportunity for political leaders to address AMR through sustained political commitment, international cooperation and a unified approach. The presence of membership organisations, like the Microbiology Society, is an exciting opportunity and recognises the key role of civil society in the global response to AMR.

At the Microbiology Society, we are dedicated to promoting feasible and effective solutions to minimise AMR, through our ‘Knocking Out AMR’ project. We call on the wider microbiology community to unite behind the Knocking Out AMR project to break down the siloed working systems within AMR, enabling truly collaborative, multi-disciplinary working and knowledge sharing. Sign up on our website to stay up to date on upcoming activities and ways to get involved.